The Race To Find A Cure For Covid-19

While efforts to develop an anti-COVID-19 vaccine are encouraging, safety issues are paramount

- Virander Chauhan

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 4,00,000, people worldwide and led to the deaths of more than 17,000. The epicentre of the pandemic has shifted from Wuhan district in China to the highly developed Western world. Countries such as Italy, Spain, France, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S., which have some of the most advanced health systems in the world, have come under tremendous pressure and seem unable to deal with this health crisis. With no specific therapy or vaccine available at present, it is imperative that we fast-forward the development of efficacious vaccines and drug therapies against COVID-19. However, it must be emphasised that because vaccines are given to large populations, safety issues are paramount. The world is dealing with an unprecedented and unimaginably serious crisis. Therefore, the speed of vaccine development is crucial.

Encouraging developments